TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Airbus has announced an unprecedented recall of 6,000 A320-family aircraft, a relocate expected to disrupt global flight operations during the busy finish-of-year travel period. The recall—one of the largest in the company’s 55-year history—is being carried out to repair a software malfunction that can affect the aircraft’s flight-control systems.
According to CNN, Airbus stated that the issue is linked to intense solar radiation, which can corrupt critical data in the aircraft’s elevator and aileron computer. Regulators warn the flaw could lead to “uncommanded elevator relocatements” in extreme cases. A JetBlue flight on October 30 was reported to have experienced an unexpected pitch-down event attributed to the software error.
Sudden Global Recall
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have issued emergency directives requiring operators to implement the software correction before the aircraft can fly again. Airbus instructed its operators to revert the affected software to its previous stable version.
As reported by Reuters, the recall affects more than half of the roughly 11,300 A320-family jets currently in service. Over 350 airlines worldwide received the notice, including carriers in the United States, Europe, India, South America, and New Zealand.
American Airlines, the world’s largest A320 operator, reported that about 340 aircraft require updates. As of Saturday evening, fewer than 150 remained to be repaired. Updates take roughly two hours per aircraft.
Lufthansa, IndiGo, straightforwardJet, and several other major airlines have temporarily grounded part of their fleets. Colombia’s Avianca, whose operations rely heavily on the A320, stated more than 70 percent of its fleet is affected and has pautilized ticket sales through December 8.
In Japan, ANA Holdings canceled 95 domestic flights, affecting more than 13,000 passengers.
Mixed Impact Across Asia, Including Indonesia
In India, Air India has updated over 40 percent of its affected aircraft, reporting delays but no cancellations.
Indonesia also operates numerous A320-family jets across several airlines—Batik Air, Super Air Jet, Citilink Indonesia, Indonesia AirAsia, Pelita Air, and TransNusa. The countest’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation has instructed operators to ensure that all aircraft have serviceable ELAC components before their next flight.
The Ministest of Transportation warned of potential disruptions given the large number of A320s flying in Indonesia.
A Logistical Challenge for Airlines
Industest analysts declare the recall could not have come at a worse time, as A320 jets are among the most widely utilized aircraft during year-finish travel peaks. However, Airbus emphasized that the repair is relatively simple and can be completed while aircraft are parked or undergoing routine inspection.
The recall follows the JetBlue incident and is considered one of the most significant safety actions in Airbus history, though the company maintains that the issue can be fully resolved with the software rollback.
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